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States were not uppermost in people's minds, and there
was little contrariety of opinion on the subject. The Con-
vention of 1864 inserted an article in the Declaration of
Rights on this subject, which the members of the Con-
vention would all admit was heterodox doctrine, and the
committee had, in response, thought proper to proclaim
orthodox doctrine. This clause was in the constitution
of the United States, which they had all sworn to sup-
port, and he wanted them to go before the people of the
country with this principle blazoned on their banners, and
let it be seen that they were not afraid to adopt this pro-
vision of the constitution of the United States.
Mr. Marbury agreed with the gentleman from Balti-
more, (Mr. Carter, ) but the clause as now presented was
not the same as the clause in the constitution of the
United States, and, to make it conform to that clause, he
moved to amend by striking out the words, "and all the
people of this State. "
Mr. Jones said this was not the declaration of the Con-
vention—it was a proposition to be submitted to the
people of Maryland for them to declare. The people of
Maryland had been charged with a desire to violate their
constitutional obligations to the Federal Union, and a
grosser slander had never been perpetrated upon a more
loyal or law-abiding people. The people of Maryland had,
in ratifying the constitution of 1787, adopted the consti-
tution of the United States as the supreme law of the
land, and had always so considered it, and still consid-
ered it. It was the sheet anchor of their hopes. Not the
constitution as distorted and torn to pieces to secure
radical supremacy at Washington. The constitution had
been laid on the shelf during the war, and although the
war had been over for two years, it still lay on the shelf.
But because the radical agitators at Washington violated
and ignored the instrument which they had sworn to sup-
port, was that any reason why the people of Maryland
should be untrue to their obligations? As the people of
Maryland have been so foully maligned, it was eminently
expedient at this time, when their representatives were
assembled here, to proclaim anew their fealty to that
constitution which was their guide and their hope.
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